Why So Brave?
by Broken-Jedi
Summary: "Echo why'd you have to be so brave?" Echo and Fives's POV during the events of the latest episode of the clone wars. possible more chapters to come. We'll see if anybody likes this one first. Title may change too. Any suggestions for it would be welcome.
1. The Death of Echo

I see my opportunity it's now or never, and we need to get out of this horrible place. "This is our only chance!" I call to my brother. "Come on!" I snatch a protective shield as I sprint to protect our only way off planet. I dash through blaster fire to get to the ramp with my brother tagging behind. I see the commando droid manning the turret. I don't have a clear shot, but maybe somebody else can get him while I distract.

"Echo! Look out!"

Too late, I turn to get a better look and see that the droid locks on and the ship behind me is hit by the turret rounds. A violent explosion of bright light and noise tosses me mercilessly through the air lifting me as easily as dust on the wind. My whole body erupts into horrible pain as I fly towards the ground or a wall. I think my helmet's been torn off, I can feel hot air on my face. _Fives? Where are you? Fives?_

"_**Echo!"**_

I hear Fives scream my name, but he seems to far away. I reach, but I'm reaching into blackness. _Fives! Where are you? Help me! You're supposed to have my back._ I sink into nothingness, cold and lonely.

**Fives POV**

I can't believe it, no I _won't,_ he can't be gone. I pick myself up from the blast screaming for my brother. _Echo, why'd you have to be so brave? Why didn't you hang back just a few seconds more? Why didn't Skywalker hit that _kriffing_ driod? He had a clear shot and plenty of time._

"We have to go."

_Sure General Kenobi, now, _**_after _**_Echo dies, you realize this was a losing battle. _I look back to the scene of the explosion wanting to go and search for my brother. I shake my head in disbelief still reaching for a brother who's not there. It's a ll a nightmare. Echo's helmet lays among the wreckage. It's charred and still smoking. I choke back a cry and follow after the others. _He's not gone. He's not gone. It's just a nightmare. _I keep repeating over and over in my head.

I stand, searching the wasteland landscape of this rotten planet, I'm on watch, but I can't keep my mind off Echo. Tears streak down my cheeks, right now the components in my helmet are the least of my worries. _What if he's still alive? What if we abandoned him to torture or a lonely death? We should have at least checked. No, you saw his helmet Fives, he's gone, toughen up and accept it. He's not coming back to base._ I turn back to Rex who's waiting for my report, he doesn't show it, but I know the loss has hurt him too. Just by the way he's standing, rigid with his arms crossed and head down most of the time, and he's been very quiet.

"All clear Sir."

"Good." came his short reply. And that was it, he went silent again.

"That landscape is nearly impossible to cross." I spoke up, desperate to get my mind off Echo. "How will we get to the rendezvous point?"

If the General's even said anything, I wasn't paying attention. I gazed back over this hellish landscape wishing that I had been with Echo and not so far behind him. I shouldv'e died with him.

"-We beat them once, we'll beat them again."

_You call this a victory? _I wanted to scream at the Jedi master. _I lost my last brother!_

"Let's go."

I cast one last glance behind us and followed after the group, trailing dejectedly in the back.


	2. Save a Place For Me

_**Song by Matthew West**_

_**Clone Wars belongs to Lucas.*sarcasm* (who else would it belong to?)**_

_**Story from my own thoughts and mind/ Fives's**_

_Don't be mad if I cry  
It just hurts so bad sometimes  
'Cause everyday it's sinking in  
And I have to say goodbye all over again_

I can't believe you're really gone Echo. I miss you brother. It's been a week since you died and I still have a hard time accepting it. Tell Hevy, Cutup, and Droidbait I said hi okay? I miss you all everyday. It's pretty lonely back at base without you here rambling about reg. manuals and the latest kit. You always did your best to keep us all in line. Sorry for fussing with you about it all the time. You were always my closest brother though. Remember when we tried to get transferred out of Domino squad? I'm really glad that never happened. I wouldn't trade you guys for anything.

_You know I bet it feels good to have the weight of this world off your shoulders now  
I'm dreaming of the day when I'm finally there with you._

One day, probably fairly soon I'll get to see you again. War is cruel and sneaky that way. I always thought that we were invincible. We survived even after events that killed the rest of our brothers. But after losing you I'm doubting that. I thought'd we'd see the war end and finally have time to do things we enjoyed. You with your reading, and me, well I don't know what I'd do. I'd find something.__

Save a place for me  
Save a place for me  
I'll be there soon  
I'll be there soon  
Save a place for me  
Save some grace for me  
I'll be there soon  
I'll be there soon

Rex misses you. He always treated us like his little brothers so I think he feels like he's failed somehow. He's not been himself since the explosion. He's been a lot more quiet and way more aggressive during fights that usual. He's hurting, we all are. I just hope he doesn't get himself killed, he's always fussing at me for doing crazy things during battles, but he does too. We'll continue to hold out here Echo. I don't know if you're watching us from wherever you are, but if you are, I want you to be proud of your brothers. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you during the Citadel mission. I shouldv'e stayed closer and warned you sooner. Why didn't I see that coming? Why'd you have to go Echo?__

I have asked the question why  
But I guess the answer's for another time  
So instead I'll pray with every tear  
And be thankful for the time I had you here  
And I wanna live my life just like you did  
Make the most of my time just like you did  
And I wanna make my home up in the sky  
Just like you did  
Oh, but until I get there  
Until I get there...

Fives went on and fought bravely for many more months. He was promoted to the rank of ARC captain and led his own groups of brothers into combat fearlessly. Until one battle, he was gravely injured in action, and as he lay on the ground he looked up and saw his brothers and other fallen comrades. He saw Rex, who had been killed in action several weeks before on a mission with Ahsoka. Both the clone captain and the young Jedi had been killed that day. He reached up to them and they seemed to reach back. He was comforted. Echo stood among them smiling proudly. Fives let out one last heavy breath before becoming free. _ I'm coming..._

…_...Save a place for me... _


	3. Welcome Home

_I opened my eyes, and there was Echo, standing right in front of me. He extended his hand and pulled me to my feet. _

"_Welcome brother." He said with a broad smile._

_I withdrew my hand and hung my head ashamedly. "Echo I-"_

_He held up his hand and cut me off. "It's okay Fives."_

"_But I shouldv'e-"_

"_Fives, shut up."_

_I smiled at the familiar rebuke, though I was usually the one to tell him to shut up. _

"_I missed you Echo." I hugged my brother._

"_We missed you too." Echo stood back and revealed ranks of brothers in shining, glossy white armor with no helmets on. Many of them had markings on their armor as they must have had during their service in the war. A few stood out from the others and ran towards us. I took off running at the group of three long lost brothers and we collided in a crash of armor and joyful shouts._

"_Fives!" Hevy clasped my arm. He was scarred from the events that took his life, yet he didn't look disfigured in any way at all. He was still the same Hevy I'd grown up with. The scars only showed the circumstances of his arrival to this resting place. "Welcome."_

"_I always wanted to live up to what you did to save us Hevy." I said. "Somehow I don't think that was even possible."_

"_You're probably right." Hevy grinned. "But who cares? You're here now. You're safe forever. And I don't have to baby-sit you anymore either."_

"_Hey Cutup." I gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. "You still losing to Hevy in arm wrestling?"_

_Cutup smirked. "Like you wouldn't believe. You'd think he's got nothing better to do with his time..."_

"_Still making bad jokes as usual..." Droidbait muttered from the side._

_I snickered. "Yeah that's nothing abnormal."_

"_Come on now, time for you to join the others," Echo gently guided me forward._

_I spotted Rex as the clone captain strode purposefully forward in his perfect military gait. "You did well Fives. Welcome Home."_


End file.
